I would love your advice on this… My husband and I are pretty certain that we’re going to go ahead with it, but we’re getting serious backlash from both of our parents…
When we found out we were having a girl, [name]Isla[/name] was without a doubt the name we wanted for our daughter. However, we bounced back and forth on how to spell it for months… Family felt it would be mispronounced and my husband and I ultimately ended up naming our darling IYLA [name]JUNE[/name] (as opposed to [name]Isla[/name] [name]June[/name]). After about a month, I hated it and have had major name spelling remorse since. She’s now 15 months and every time I have to write out her name or hear her name being read aloud as “Ill-yuh” I absolutely cringe I’ve gone as far as to fill out all the paperwork to legally change the spelling to the traditional [name]Isla[/name] but am taking heat from the grandparents. My defence is that I’m not changing her beautiful name at all… Iyla [name]June[/name] or [name]Isla[/name] [name]June[/name], it’s the SAME name and she’ll not know any different. Am I over-thinking this? Is spelling all that important?
I would just change it. like inthemorning said, it seems that it’s really bothering you and its your child, not your grandparent’s!
I say go for it, you won’t confuse her as you’re only changing the spelling, she won’t notice any difference and you’ll have a huge weight pulled off your shoulders!
Yes, you should definately change it. It is definately worth the grief your daughter will have to deal with. Literate people will know how to pronounce [name]Isla[/name]. It’s beautiful!
I would change it, too!! I do not understand why there could possibly be any confusion on how to spell [name]ISLA[/name] or how to pronounce it. Most people know the name. I mean it´s by far not uncommon. Really, just go for it. You´re doing the right thing (By the way, I honestly wouldn´t know how to pronounce your current spelling of the name IYLA if you didn´t tell that´s supposed to be [name]ISLA[/name], no offence.)
And btw: I really love the name [name]Isla[/name]. It´s a beautiful choice
No offense, but to me, Iyla would be pronounced like “Ee-yull-ah”. Most people would know how to pronounce Isla, since everyone knows how to pronounce Island. I’d change it to the original spelling. I love the name Isla. It’s so pretty!
I’m with everyone else. The spelling really seems to bother you and [name]Isla[/name] (spelled like this) is partially so stunning because of it’s simplicity. I think that if you and your hubby are of one mind on this - to heck with everyone else.
Since a major concern of your parents and in-laws was the pronunciation of [name]Isla[/name] - and I assume that this is still partly their concern - I’d point out that nobody get’s confused on how to pronounce island and [name]Isla[/name] is very similar. If people start saying “Ees-la” instead it’s easy enough to say “[name]Isla[/name] like island” - I feel like people will just say “well duh, how stupid am I?” instead of feeling it’s counter intuitive. Honestly, I’m with mnj87 I find Iyla much more confusing (too many vowels).
I’d say you should change her name. It might be because I’m from a foreign language country, but I would have more problems with the Iyla spelling than [name]Isla[/name] (presuming that I didn’t know how [name]Isla[/name] was pronounced). I would pronounce Iyla “Aye-ee-lah”. It’ll be so much easier for her in the future if her name is spelled the traditional way.
Changing from an unusual and non-intuitive spelling to the standard one can only help. Grandparents tend to think their grandchildren are perfect in every way so will resist tinkering, but you’re sparing your daughter a lifetime of frustrated phonics lessons and going by “[name]Ida[/name]” at Starbucks.
Change it. It’s your daughter who will have to put up with constant mispronunciations of her name, not the grandparents. By the way, [name]Isla[/name] is a gorgeous name!
I would change it, especially since it sounds like it’s bothering you, and your daughter is too young to know the difference. [name]Isla[/name] is pretty well-known and most people will be able to pronounce/read it, and honestly I don’t think less people would say “Iyla” incorrectly. Some people pronounce even the most common, easily spelled names incorrectly, and it’s not as if [name]Isla[/name]'s a name no one ever hears. Her grandparents and everyone else will get over it if you change the spelling. And I hate to say this, but in the future, people [name]WILL[/name] look at your daughter’s name more positively (and your daughter more positively, I mean on things such as job applications, etc.) if her name is spelled “correctly”. Although it’s absolutely no reflection on the person with the name, people do look down upon creative or altered spellings of well-known given names.
[name]Isla[/name] [name]June[/name] (or Iyla [name]June[/name]) is a gorgeous name, BTW.
Change it. I have a sibling with a phonetic spelling of [name]Siobhan[/name] and everyone tries to spell it properly instead! It is frustrating to her and it looks like her parents were illiterate to spell it so differently to the traditional.
What are the grandparents specific objections to the change? [name]Do[/name] they still feel the [name]Isla[/name] spelling is confusing? Ask them to spell Island and see what you get.
[name]Isla[/name] is common enough that I don’t see too many people struggling with it. Iyla reminds me of [name]Ilya[/name] Kovalchuk who is a hockey player that used to play for the Thrashers (back when they were still in [name]Atlanta[/name]). He pronounces it Ill-ya, and I’m not sure, but I think it’s a pretty common slavic name for males. Anyway, [name]Isla[/name] is much better!
If I were you, I’d change it. [name]Isla[/name] is so classy and beautiful, Iyla just looks misspelled. [name]Do[/name] what you want! It’s your baby, not your parents.
Not that there’s much dispute here, but let me add an official vote for changing the spelling. Everyone who’s heard of Wedding Crashers and Borat knows who [name]Isla[/name] [name]Fisher[/name] is and how to pronounce, spell her lovely, classic name. I can understand how it’s confusing for the older generation but as you say, you’re not really changing it. If your grandparents want to continue spelling it Iyla, fine. Your daughter will fare better as [name]Isla[/name].
I’ve gone as far as to fill out all the paperwork to legally change the spelling to the traditional [name]Isla[/name] but am taking heat from the grandparents. My defence is that I’m not changing her beautiful name at all… Iyla [name]June[/name] or [name]Isla[/name] [name]June[/name], it’s the SAME name and she’ll not know any different. Am I over-thinking this? Is spelling all that important?
(By the way, I honestly wouldn´t know how to pronounce your current spelling of the name IYLA if you didn´t tell that´s supposed to be [name]ISLA[/name], no offence.)